drunkard

American  

[druhng-kerd] / ˈdrʌŋ kərd /

noun

Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.

   Synonyms:

   tippler, sot, lush

   Antonyms:

   teetotaler

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drunkard British  

/ ˈdrʌŋkəd /

noun

1. a person who is frequently or habitually drunk

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Related Words

See inebriate.

Etymology

Origin of drunkard

First recorded in 1520–40; see origin at drunk, -ard

Example Sentences

With imaginative sympathy Tolstoy becomes a general in battle, a young girl at her first ball, a disillusioned prince, a drunkard, a lover—often amid a backdrop “laden with snow.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

"Our boy deserves answers and we as a family deserve answers. Nathan wasn't a drunkard who'd go out and forget about everything. Nathan was really with it," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2025

Shakespeare’s Falstaff is a master of verbal invention, whose infinite self-knowledge keeps him always compelling even as he is a coward, a drunkard, and a thief.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2019

Every episode is a tantalising prospect as the story gallops towards a conclusion like a windmilling drunkard, and none have disappointed so far.

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2017

Melisandre knew a few by name: the cook Three-Finger Hobb, Mully with his greasy orange hair, the dim-witted boy called Owen the Oaf, the drunkard Septon Celladar.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin